Tag Archives: sherry lover

finos palmas 2019

15 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in andalucia, sevilla, sherry

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It’s always such a pleasure to taste these wines. Finos Palmas is an annual limited selection of a small number of the very best casks of Tio Pepe Fino sherries from Bodega González Byass in Jerez de la Frontera.

This year’s selection was made mid-October by Antonio Flores, Gonzalez Byass’ master winemaker, and master of wine Peter Liem and, as always, bottled “en rama”, without filtration or clarification.

The tasting took place at Lalola Taberna Gourmet inside the Hotel One Shot Palacio Conde de Torrejón and was led by Silvia Flores, sommelier, assistant winemaker at González Byass, and Antonio’s daughter. It was different this year as it was the first time Finos Palmas has been presented to the public (rather than just press) before hitting the shelves. Really hard to pick a favourite, though of course the 53 year old Cuatro Palmas is in a league of its own. But all the wines, including a taste of Tío Pepe en Rama to begin, show the development of the finos and each one is delicious in its own way.

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sherry twitter tasting 2019

22 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by in sherry, twitter, wine

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So these beauties have just arrived and now I’m all set for the Sherry Twitter Tasting 2019, Amontillado Edition, on November 5th, organised by Ruben @sherrynotes with the participation of the bodegas, the Consejo Regulador and us 15 lucky ducks who where chosen to take part.

The last time I did one of these was back in 2015 when I was chosen to participate in the Palo Cortado tasting.

Here’s the lineup…

  • Amontillado NPU (Sánchez Romate)

    A medium-aged example (15 years) with a rich and generous profile (vanilla, hazelnuts and a hint of sweetness). A classic Amontillado from Jerez.

  • Amontillado Principe de Barbadillo 12 Years (Barbadillo)

    Aged in Sanlúcar: 8 years under flor and 6 with oxygen. A good example of a spikey, maritime Amontillado.

  • Amontillado Tio Diego (Valdespino)

    One of the archetypes of Amontillado. After ageing for 10 years under flor, it ages further to a total 18 years. A single vineyard ‘Macharnudo Alto’ wine which evoques the albariza soil like no other.

  • Amontillado En Rama 2001 (Williams & Humbert)

    One of the latest Añadas from this bodegas, an Amontillado of 18 years, aged statically and therefore showing an above-average intensity and a unique character.

  • Fino Imperial VORS (Diez-Merito)

    One of the true gems of the sherry region, from a solera dating back to 1793. One of the very few natural Amontillados in existence – simply an amazing treat.

If you want to follow along pop onto Twitter on November 5th (19.00h CEST, UTV +1) and look for the #SherryTT hashtag.

las edades de tío pepe

24 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in andalucia, sevilla, sherry

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The Cuatro Palmas (four palms) is an annual limited selection of a small number of the very best casks of Tio Pepe Fino sherries from Bodega González Byass in Jerez de la Frontera, which are usually publicly presented to the sherry and hospitality trades and selected press in November.

This year’s selections will be made later this week by Antonio Flores, Gonzalez Byass’ master winemaker, and master of wine Peter Liem and, as always, will be bottled “en rama”, without filtration or clarification.

I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting of these incredible wines at Andalucía Sabor, called The Ages of Tío Pepe, which included the “mosto” from this year’s harvest, Tío Pepe en rama (bottled last May) and the four different Palmas. This past July Cuatro Palmas won the International Wine Challenge “Champion of Champions” Trophy and the title of Best Wine in the World.

The tasting was led by Antonio Flores with his usual blend of passion and poetry. Truly one of the most charismatic of “sherry whisperers”, Antonio took us through the six ages of Tío Pepe from “infancy” to “wise old age” and had us compare each age with the previous ones to appreciate the development of each stage. A delicious and educational process. Looking forward to trying this year’s selection.

  • Una Palma is a 6 year old Fino selected from three casks, out of a total of 142, that exemplifies the evolution of the style.
  • Dos Palmas is an 8 year old Fino selected from just two casks out of 150, reflecting the elegance of a well aged wine.
  • Tres Palmas is a 10 year old Fino selected from a single cask at the limit of the biological ageing process.
  • Cuatro Palmas iis a Fino that has passed to being an amontillado, and is selected from one of just six casks that have been ageing in González Byass for more than 50 years. It reflects the ability of Tío Pepe to evolve over time. Only half the cask is bottled.

singular wines

06 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in andalucia, restaurants, sevilla, sherry, wine

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As soon as I saw the line up for this sherry tasting I knew I’d have to attend. I was already familiar with Velo Flor by Bodegas Alonso, one of the most unique (and delicious) manzanillas I’ve ever tasted, but the Pedro’s Almacenista Selection range by Singular Wines were new to me.

The tasting was at BaQvs in the Hotel Casas de la Juderia, and was led by fellow sherry educator Luis Gutiérrez, who is also the owner of the restaurant. Along with the five fabulous wines – fino, manzanilla, amontillado, palo cortado, oloroso – we were given a  history lesson on the origins of wine making in the Sherry Triangle region, and also taken through the sherry making process. It’s clear that Luis really knows his stuff, though I would have liked a bit more tasting note info and discussion on what actually makes these wines “singular”. But it was a pleasant evening, and thanks are due to BaQvs restaurant for the organising and hosting of the event.